I doubt many players here today can say that cashed in the 1997 Main Event when Stu Ungar completed his comeback year to win a third WSOP title.
George McKeever can.
Hailing from Ireland, McKeever was likely around when poker was invented and has been a regular visitor to Vegas since the eighties, maybe earlier. In his time, McKeever has picked up a number of impressive results - including two EPT final tables - and was a part of the Irish invasion of the World Series in 1999 where he finished seventh.
This year, he's looking to make the money once again. The location is different, and the field is somewhat bigger, but McKeever remains a permanent fixture and could well add another Main Event cash to his repertoire.
However, if he's to achieve such a goal, the journey's going to be long and hard as, at time of writing, he doesn't have too much more than 100,000. I did see him win a pot, though, his push for 98,000 on a flop enough to pick up the pot.
Barry Shulman triumphed at WSOPE 2009. Could McKeever bring another home for the old guard in Vegas?
With a raise to 10,500 from middle position, Jackie Glazier moved all in for an additional 73,200 from the big blind. After a few minutes of thought, her opponent made the call.
Glazier:
Opponent:
Glazier was looking for diamonds but had to sweat the river when the first four community cards were spread . But the river bricked the and they chopped it up, much to the relief of Glazier who survives and has about 85,000 chips.
There is a very large color-up scheduled for the end of this level, when the black and blue 100-denomination chips will be removed from play. Typically, as the break closes in, one player on each table starts buying up all the 100s from their neighbors but Jesper Hougaard already got a jump on this task. Hougaard has long relieved his opponents of their 100s and constructed a chip castle that while not as architecturally spectacular as a Carlos Mortensen creation, by its sheer size dwarfs anything the Matador has ever built.
We're not sure how the action went, but we arrived to find a player in mid position all in with . Robert Varkonyi on the button was holding .
Board:
The all-in player doubled up, leaving Varkonyi woefully short on just 16,000 or so. The TV cameras, and indeed your bloggers, decided to wait at the table like vultures circling a wounded deer.
We didn't have to wait long.
Next hand, the same gentleman who had just doubled through Varkonyi raised to 11,000. The gent next to him - let us call him Player 2 - flat-called, and Varkonyi shoved for his last 15,800.
"Think about it before you call," Varkonyi laughed. Both players called.
They checked down the flop and the turn. The initial raiser checked the river as well, but this time Player 2 bet 7,500.
"Oh no," laughed Varkonyi.
Oh yes.
The initial raiser folded, and Varkonyi turned over . Duly Player 2 flipped for a rivered higher full house, and that was that for the 2002 world champion.
There was already about 30,000 chips in the middle on the flop of . Steven Burkholder was up first and checked. His opponent bet 11,000 before Burkholder raised to 25,000. His opponent made the call.
The turn card brought the and Burkholder bet 25,000. His opponent called again.
The river brought the and Burkholder fired a big bet of 100,000. His opponent tank-called for his last 80,000 chips with the . Top two pair wasn't good though as Burkholder tabled the for a wheel.
Jason Somerville raised to 8,000 preflop and called the hijack's three-bet to 22,500. Both players checked their way through to the river and we were looking at a board that read . Somerville check-called a bet of 24,000 but mucked when his opponent showed .
After the hand was over, Somerville told our trusty field reporter that "I guess I should be happy that I did't ship pre(flop)." Even with the loss, Somerville is still comfortable with 340,000 chips.
Michael Chow already has one bracelet at the 2010 WSOP but he's going to need to change his luck in this Main Event if he hopes to make it two. Chow was one of two middle-position players to call a pre-flop raise to 11,000 made by a player under the gun. When that player checked a , Chow tried a bet of 16,500. The player behind him raised to 42,000 and took down the pot without further resistance.
Erica Schoenberg has hit the rail. She was all in preflop for her last 40,000 or so with the . Her opponent had her dominated with the .
The flop was good to Schoenberg with the coming down. She picked up a pair of sixes and the lead. The turn was the giving her opponent a heart draw and the river completed that draw with the .
Schoenberg was up and out of her seat the instant the river card hit the felt.
We're not sure how the chips got into the middle, but it was on a flop of with Johnny Lodden and his opponent going to war. Lodden tabled for a flush draw with a few overcards but his short-stacked opponent was in front with just for ace-queen high.
The on the turn seemed like a fair card, as now both players were chopping. Lodden still had his flush outs to win the pot, but his opponent spiked one of his outs when the fell on the river to make two pair, queens and sixes. Lodden slips to 572,000.
flop enough to pick up the pot.
. But the river bricked the 
and they chopped it up, much to the relief of Glazier who survives and has about 85,000 chips.
. Robert Varkonyi on the button was holding 
.
flop and the 
turn. The initial raiser checked the 
river as well, but this time Player 2 bet 7,500.
. Duly Player 2 flipped 
. Steven Burkholder was up first and checked. His opponent bet 11,000 before Burkholder raised to 25,000. His opponent made the call.
. Top two pair wasn't good though as Burkholder tabled the 
for a wheel.
and the river the 
, Chow tried a bet of 16,500. The player behind him raised to 42,000 and took down the pot without further resistance.
. Her opponent had her dominated with the 
giving her opponent a heart draw and the river completed that draw with the 
for a flush draw with a few overcards but his short-stacked opponent was in front with just 
on the turn seemed like a fair card, as now both players were chopping. Lodden still had his flush outs to win the pot, but his opponent spiked one of his outs when the 
